Nearly 700 prominent Islamic scholars and heads of Muslim organizations from around the globe assembled in Jakarta to attend the 11th conference of the Riyadh-based World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY).
“The leaders were worried about the wrong direction of the war on terrorism,” said Dr. Muhammad Badahdah, assistant secretary-general of WAMY, who attended the three-day conference, which opened in Jakarta on Oct. 2.
“Although Western countries are saying the war is not against Islam, in practice it's targeting Islam and Muslims, and some extremists in Europe and America want to make use of this umbrella to fight Islam and Muslims,” said Badahdah.
He said the so-called war on terror, which has already destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan, would worsen relations between Islam and the West, and warned that the growing polarization of Muslims, Christians and Jews would have dangerous consequences if quick steps are not taken to improve relations.
“Muslim leaders at the conference asked how long this war will continue, spending trillions of dollars of tax payers' money to kill innocent people. What are they going to gain from this war? They hoped America would stop the war in Afghanistan and try to establish good relationship with its people,” Badahdah said.
“Muslims constitute about one-third of the world’s population and they are a big market. Nobody can ignore Muslims. Islam is the fastest spreading religion in the world. It’s in America’s interest to establish better relations with Muslims,” he said.
Badahdah said history would never forgive the leaders and countries that have killed thousands in the name of fighting terror. “Actually, they are the terrorists as they kill innocent people using advanced weaponry. It's flagrant state terrorism. We don't need any certification for that. It’s strange that those who bomb innocent people to death are described as proponents of peace and human rights while those who defend their rights are condemned as terrorists. This is a ridiculous judgment,” he said.
He said the Jakarta meet was very successful. It discussed 50 research papers on “Youth and Social Responsibility,” he said, adding that all of the papers would be made available on WAMY’s website. He emphasized the need to make use of the youth's capabilities for social development. “We want to keep them busy so that they do not find time to engage in any destructive activities.”
The WAMY official thanked the Indonesian government for giving all-out support to make the conference a big success. Saudi Arabia was represented by a high-level delegation including Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh, former Social Affairs Minister Ali Al-Namlah, former Deputy Chairman of the Shoura Council Abdullah Omar Naseef and Royal Court adviser Sheikh Suleiman Al-Manie. Other dignitaries included former Sudanese President Abdul Rahman Swar Dahab, Sheikh Salman Al-Awdah, Amr Khaled, Sheikh Mohammad Hassan Dado of Mauritania and Essam Al-Bashir, former minister of Islamic affairs in Sudan.
Delegates from 70 countries including the Americas, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia attended the event, which decided to conduct workshops on applicable examples of social responsibility in different places. Essam Al-Bashir talked about how Muslims should contribute to civilization, and a symposium would be conducted to discuss this topic further.
Badahdah spoke about the election of new office bearers. Saleh Al-Asheikh and Saleh Al-Wohaibi have been re-elected as WAMY's president and secretary-general respectively. The organization's board members represented various continents and countries.
Badahdah disclosed plans to expand the organization's activities to new regions and strengthen the existing members by providing them with necessary guidance and financial assistance. He referred to WAMY's efforts to enhance its global reputation by conducting constructive activities in various parts of the world and signing agreements with leading international organizations.
